


Love Like Drowning

by Shivani



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Dubious Consent, M/M, Mind Control, Sex Pollen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:07:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26642701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shivani/pseuds/Shivani
Summary: Jenova’s physical form might be bound in place, but its mind was anything but. It finds a lonely little boy to talk to.
Relationships: Sephiroth/Cloud Strife
Comments: 8
Kudos: 107





	1. 01: [μ]εγλ 1994 - [ν]εγλ 0002

**Author's Note:**

> **1**. Might be considered horror? I dunno. My brain is twisted, so… It’s creepy…?
> 
>  **2**. This could possibly be a whole lot more, more detailed and layered, but I’m not in the mood. I just want the idea “on paper” and out there.
> 
>  **3**. More than once while writing this I had to laugh and ask myself, “What the fuck am I doing here?”
> 
>  **4**. The whole thing is just a bit mental, I guess.
> 
>  **5**. This is also a response to the sheer amount of angst and tragedy tags/categories, and all the so-depressing-I-may-slit-my-own-wrists style of storytelling I keep seeing for anything involving Cloud. At least he’s happy in this. (And don’t get me started on all the Mary-fucking-Sue OCs that keep popping up everywhere.)
> 
>  **6**. Toward the end it kept veering into crack territory and I had to keep erasing stuff and trying again. That’s when I knew I needed to find a decent enough spot to stop.
> 
>  **7**. Written: 2020 09 20 - 2020 09 25. Initial assembly: 2020 09 25.

## 01: [μ]εγλ 1994 - [ν]εγλ 0002

#### [μ]εγλ 1994

Cloud was wandering a little aimlessly when he heard the first whisper in his mind. He was just a young boy, alone and friendless, but the whisper was soothing, comforting. It suggested he find something he could use as a practice sword and begin to learn swordsmanship. The whisper sounded as lonely as he usually felt.

Maybe it wanted him to be strong enough to go to it? He might gain a friend. He nodded to himself and starting searching for a stick that wasn’t too brittle. He was gonna do it!

#### [μ]εγλ 1995

That girl, Tifa, was headed up the mountain, trailed by her three friends. Her mother had died just recently and the girl was acting really strange in his opinion. Cloud had come a long way in the past year, having graduated from a stick to an actual sword. He found it during one of his forays up the mountain looking for bad things to kill, but he kept his stick handy just in case.

When the girl got close enough he said, “What are you doing? You’ll get hurt if you go much farther.”

“I have to get to the other side. My mother is sure to be there,” the girl said and kept right on walking.

He knew there was a bridge just up ahead, but it was a bit rickety, the icy temperatures of the mountain slowly turning the wood and rope construction brittle, and had to be traversed carefully. He looked back to see the three friends shuffling nervously.

‘ _Follow her a little_ ,’ the whisper said into his mind.

‘ _Yes._ ’ He walked the same path, his footing sure after a year of exploring the paths. His eyes went wide when the girl tripped over a clump of snow and hit the ground face first, but she got back up and struggled forward.

‘ _The wolf…_ ’

Cloud frowned slightly and bounded forward. A single wolf had ghosted out of the surrounding snowy landscape, which was unusual, but not completely unheard of. They usually hunted with at least one other, sometimes a third. He had done his absolute best for the whisper in learning the sword, having decided that he needed to work hard to be strong enough to fight his way to it.

The lone wolf was dispatched easily enough, and he was torn for a moment between skinning the corpse and following the girl.

‘ _Follow her a little more._ ’

He nodded. He could always come back to the beast, get the pelt as he did with all the others (he had become much better at doing so without ruining it) and stuff what he could of the meat into a sack to take to the house he lived in. It might not taste the best, but it tasted much better than starvation.

His sword went back into the sheathe he had fashioned as he turned to follow the girl again. He was completely caught off guard when a snowball smashed into him from behind, accompanied by a shout of, “Why are you up here, you freak! Stop following Tifa!”

The push propelled him forward in a flailing of limbs, right at the bridge the girl had just walked onto. Ropes frayed and unraveled, wooden planks snapped, and the two of them went tumbling downward.

The townspeople now actively hated him. The girl’s father, the mayor, blamed him for his daughter’s accident and injury. The three friends had likely panicked at the results of their actions and fled, only to lay the blame on Cloud.

‘ _It will be fine, my beloved Cloud_ ,’ the whisper spoke into his mind. The whisper was a balm to his anger and wounded pride. ‘ _Simply continue to become more than you are. Soon enough you will be able to come to me._ ’

He smiled slightly and nodded, that much more determined to become strong enough.

#### [μ]εγλ 1996

At the top of Mt Nibel was a massive building. Along the way he found a new sword that had four unlinked slots in it for materia. Unfortunately, the sword was almost bigger than he was. He dragged it along with him anyway.

The building was wider at the bottom and rose quite high up. A red and gold Shinra logo was on the front, and pipes led from the upper parts off to the side and down to the ground. He had had to go through a very strange area with ladders and pipes and, down at the bottom, a blue scorpion (that he warily avoided) to get there.

‘ _My beloved Cloud, you are so nearly here_ ,’ the whisper spoke. ‘ _Be not afraid of some of the things you will see. Simply come to me and I will explain what you need to do_.’

With renewed confidence he entered the building and looked around the interior curiously. There were a lot of pipes and he had to carefully balance as he used a twin set as a walkway, over to a metal plank, all so he could shimmy down some chains onto a long metal cylinder of sorts. How Shinra expected anyone to easily maintain the place was not something he could understand. There must be another entrance somewhere.

There was a doorway at the end of the cylinder (or maybe it was a pipe) with a pinkish light spilling forth from it. Gears spun and whirred off to the right. Through that doorway was a series of pods, each with warnings and a blue-lit portal on the front, much too high for him to try to look into. They went up the room in line with the stairway, at the top of which was a metal sign which read: Jenova.

‘ _The pods are a system which condense and freeze mako_ ,’ the whisper spoke. ‘ _With time it will become materia. I am through the door at the top, my beloved Cloud. Come to me_.’

He tore his attention away from the pods and walked up the stairs and through the door. It was a roughly round room inside and there was a long, red, flexible tube leading up from a hole in the floor, to what looked like a statue. A woman? There were shiny metal wings, silvery hair, and a clear tube behind it.

Cloud carefully made his way up the tube to stare at the statue. The metal face was beautiful, her silvery hair made from swept back cables, and the wings sprouted from metal arms. But behind it, in the tube, was a woman. She was naked!

‘ _It’s all right, my beloved Cloud_ ,’ the whisper spoke. ‘ _This is what I have been reduced to_.’

The lady had no arms. There was a metal headpiece partly covering long silver hair, and a single glowing pinkish-purple eye. A red tube emerged from her stomach, as well.

A tear escaped from his eye; she must be in so much pain. “What should I do?” he said softly.

‘ _I will be your mother, if you will have me_ ,’ the whisper spoke. ‘ _My name is Jenova_.’

His mother in town was … distant. She fed him and gave him a place to sleep at night, but rarely spoke to him unless it was to tell him to do some chore. She never asked where he went or what he did. He was always so lonely. “Yes.”

‘ _You will allow me to be your mother?_ ’ Jenova asked.

“Yes. Mother.”

‘ _My beloved Cloud. I’m so happy. This is what I need for you to do, child_ …’

He listened carefully and repeated it back to her when she prompted him, then nodded when she said to begin. There was a storage case to the side, which he opened. It contained a number of glass tubes with metal spikes on them. Mother called them syringes. He was to take one and fill it from a valve nearby.

He did so, her whispers in his mind encouraging him, and then he took a seat on the floor so he could inject the mixture into the blue vein at the crook of his arm.

‘ _Don’t worry if you don’t get it exactly right, my beloved Cloud. You will become more experienced with this over time_.’

He looked up at her and nodded, then pushed the needle in, wincing a bit, then hit the button on the side. It burned! “Mother?” he asked in alarm.

‘ _It’s all right, my darling. The pain will pass. You will be doing this many times, but it will get better. It hurts because my genetic material is replacing that of the woman who bore you, so that I become your mother. It’s all right if you need to cry. I will not think any less of you_.’

He let the tears fall as he removed the needle from his arm and set it aside. It really hurt a lot! But he was willing to bear it to have a real mother, one who spoke to him so sweetly, loved him, and encouraged him to become stronger.

“How … many times?”

‘ _Once per week, my beloved Cloud. And once you are changed enough from this, there will be another thing I will ask you to do, so that you can become even more strong. There is a natural mako fountain not far from here, south from this place. Injecting that will make you stronger, faster, and more in tune with magic. Mako fountains also produce natural materia, which you will be able to use. If you can, sleep for a while, my darling son_.’

He nodded and laid down, to attempt to escape the pain in sleep.

He gazed upon the mako fountain with wonder, as he always did. There in the shallow pool was a sphere, a piece of natural materia, which he picked up. A mental touch on it told him it was Elemental. It could be placed in his newer sword, the one he was finally strong enough to use properly, if only to help evolve it, as none of the slots on it were linked.

The injections Mother had him do each week had the gradual result of making his hair lighten to a silvery blond, and he had noticed his eyes had developed a pale green ring inside the deep blue, around his pupils, which had elongated at some point. He could see a lot more clearly at night or in dark places, which was wonderful.

His birth mother never noticed because she rarely looked at him. He had also managed to use spoils from the mountain as payment for a set of tinted goggles a passing trader had for sale, so the changes were hidden when in town, and that his eyes had begun to glow.

While he was there he gathered some of the mako into a syringe. Mother had told him to inject one of those each week along with the liquid from the valve. He tried not to think about how his Mother was being harvested by a bad man. The pure mako injections had the result of quickly improving his body, so he could take on and take down more of the creatures that roamed the mountain.

He made the trip daily, using that time to improve his condition and skills, so that he could spend time with Mother and listen to her stories. Once a week he would inject himself twice, endure the pain from it, and listen to her sweet whispers of comfort.

Back at her room in the reactor he prepared another valve injection, then sat on the floor to use both syringes. As the burn set in he tried to relax. One other effect had been that Mother could reach him so much more easily, her voice strong in his mind rather than just a whisper.

“Will I be strong enough someday to take you away from this, Mother?” he asked, pushing the pain aside as best he could so as to concentrate on more important things.

‘ _Yes, my darling. I have some ideas as to how to make that properly happen. The time will come, you need not fear. I also have in mind a mate for you, when you are older_.’

He blinked. “A mate?”

‘ _Of course, my beloved Cloud. I want you to be happy. Every mother wants her children to have children of their own. It is my fondest wish for you_.’

He nodded. Mother was always thinking of his welfare. If she had a mate in mind for him, of course he would do as she wished. He wouldn’t dream of saying no to Mother. “Yes, Mother. I know you’ll have chosen the perfect mate for me.”

#### [μ]εγλ 0000

‘ _My beloved Cloud_.’

His head snapped up to look at Mother. “Yes, Mother?” His book could wait, clearly.

‘ _You are strong enough now to see a bit more of the world, my darling. I am going to start calling creatures, to here and nearer to the town. The humans will call for assistance from Shinra, and Shinra will send their soldiers to deal with the problem. When I sense them coming, I want you to be outside the reactor, fighting off the beasts_.’ She paused, which Cloud knew was an invitation to ask questions.

“You want them to see how skilled I am, and…?”

‘ _Take you with them, so you can receive further training, my darling, from others with experience. They will not be able to resist you_.’

He felt some measure of alarm, though he would of course do as Mother wanted. “Would I even be able to hear you from so far away?”

‘ _I am hoping so, but do not fret if I cannot reach that far, my darling. You will return to me within a few years. I will ensure it, much as I will ensure you have this opportunity now_.’

He heaved a sigh of relief.

‘ _Remember, my beloved Cloud, I have a mate in mind for you, so do not do anything contrary_.’

“Of course not, Mother. Your wisdom eclipses mine.”

‘ _Such a sweet child, you are, such a good son. You will make a wonderful bearer, my darling_.’

He couldn’t help but blush at such praise.

‘ _You will need to be careful coming to me each day, so as to leave plenty of creatures for the soldiers to take care of. We want them to reach us here so they can see just how incredible you are_.’

“Yes, Mother. I will be very careful each day. And I’ll make sure I have all my materia on hand. Maybe I should obtain a supply of food and water, so I can just stay here and not risk upsetting your plan.”

‘ _I can sense them, my darling_ ,’ Mother spoke in his mind. ‘ _They have arrived in the village and are even now headed this way. Get all your things packed away. When they are close enough I will let you know, and you can do your part_.’

He nodded and swiftly gathered up everything loose into the side pockets of the trousers he had traded for and secured the flaps. The only things he left out were his sword and his book. He already knew he would have to claim the human woman as his mother for their records, much as it pained him.

“I’ll wait just inside the entrance, Mother, so I’ll be able to act as soon as you say.”

‘ _Excellent, my beloved Cloud. Go now_.’

A few minutes later he was propped against the wall just inside the entrance to the reactor, book in hand. He might as well continue his studies while waiting. He had just flipped the page to a new chapter when something intruded on his senses. He looked up toward the door curiously, and realized he was sensing, albeit more faintly, what Mother could.

Someone nearby contained a small bit of Mother. Two someones? “Mother?” he whispered.

‘ _Yes, my darling. Hojo has been gifting people with my essence without my permission. But do not blame those men, for they had no idea. They simply thought they were being enhanced with mako. Hojo is to blame. Unfortunately, if these humans act as I expect and take you back with them, there is every chance you may end up near Hojo_.’

“Should I kill him, Mother?”

‘ _Only if you can be absolutely certain it cannot be traced back to you. If there is any doubt, do not attack him. We can find a way to handle that man once we are reunited and your mate is with you_.’

“Yes, Mother. I will do as you say.” He resumed reading, the low light not a bother to him. His tinted goggles were around his neck, as he would need the coming humans to see the glow in his eyes as well as his skill with a sword against creatures no normal human could easily defeat, and certainly not alone.

‘ _It is time, my darling. Go outside and begin.’_

“Yes, Mother,” he said, then strapped the book and attached it to his belt. Sword in hand he exited the reactor to see a dragon awaiting him. Child’s play for him. He toyed with it, sensing the soldiers get closer, and only when they were just about to exit the cave leading to the reactor did he get serious and honestly work on killing the thing.

Four men emerged with their weapons out. One had eyes which glowed. One wore a helmet which covered his eyes. Both were carrying swords. The other two had helmets on with three pinkish-red lights on the front in a triangle. He had no idea what they did and he thought they looked silly, so they were probably unenhanced humans. He couldn’t sense those two, either.

With a final strike of his sword he gutted the dragon and watched it collapse. He then turned his attention to the four men and quirked his brow.

“One man, by himself,” one of the unenhanced muttered in wonder.

“Awesome!” the black-haired enhanced said. He looked to Cloud as if he was trying too hard to seem excited. “Kunsel, we gotta take this kid back with us and get him into SOLDIER. We can’t let this kind of talent waste out in the middle of nowhere. The kid’s already got a mako shine going.”

The other sword bearer, presumably Kunsel, glanced over at the first with body language that screamed, “What!?”

“Take me?” he said. “What are you talking about? Some kind of program?”

The first gawked. “You’ve never heard of SOLDIER? How can you not have heard of SOLDIER?”

He shrugged. “I haven’t. So what.”

“How do you have a mako shine?” Kunsel asked.

Cloud furrowed his brow, then relaxed. “Oh, you mean my eyes, right?” When Kunsel nodded he continued, “I fell into a mako pool a few years back. Survived, obviously. Things changed.”

“How old are you?” the first asked, then shook his head and added, “Name’s Zack.”

“Cloud. I’m fourteen.”

“You interested?” Zack asked. “You’re already better than some of the SOLDIER 3rd Class we have. I can’t see them saying no once they get a look at you in action.”

“I still don’t know what you mean by that. You work for Shinra?”

“Yep!” Zack said. “Monster extermination is one of our duties.”

“Well, I was going to head back down the mountain after that dragon,” he said, swinging his sword over his shoulder so it would adhere to the magnet strapped to his back, all so he could pull his goggles up to provide protection against snow glare. “You could explain more on the way.”

“Awesome! Let’s go. And if we run across any more creatures on the way down, you can help.”

He could tell that neither of them had anywhere close to his own level of relation to Mother, but he did feel a distant sort of kinship with them. He nodded and set off with them, the two normal humans trailing along behind.

He had thought the Mt Nibel reactor was a big building. It did not prepare him for the sheer size of the city of Midgar, nor the enormity of the Shinra Building at the very center of the upper plate. When their helicopter landed the two infantrymen were dismissed, and he was escorted to that center building and rode a lift with Zack and Kunsel up to 51F.

Their destination was an office with a blond-haired man inside, seated at a desk and occupied with his computer. Bookcases lined the walls and various decorative accents were scattered about, such as potted plants and models.

“Ah, Zack, Kunsel,” the man said. “You’ve made good time.” The man eyed Cloud curiously and nodded. “I am Lazard Deusericus, director of SOLDIER.”

“Cloud Strife,” he said obligingly.

“Zack and Kunsel have informed me you were fighting like a SOLDIER on Mt Nibel,” Lazard said.

He clearly expected Cloud to expand on that ostensibly innocuous statement. Mother had taught him about verbal tricks. “I’ve spent a good part of my life on the mountain, fighting the creatures there and getting stronger. But as I don’t entirely understand what you mean by SOLDIER I can’t make a comparison. Your usage of the word obviously means more than a common fighter.”

Lazard’s brow furrowed slightly as he nodded.

“Director, you gotta see him in action,” Zack said. “Can we all go to the VR simulator? Have him fight some beasts, and then maybe a spar against one of us? It’d be a complete waste of talent if he wasn’t brought in as a SOLDIER.”

“May I see your eyes?” Lazard asked genially.

Cloud let a moment stretch almost painfully before reaching up to shove his goggles down around his neck. He could tell that Lazard was unenhanced, and there wasn’t a trace of Mother in him.

“Ah,” Lazard said. “You fell into a mako fountain?”

He nodded. He had, actually, on Mother’s orders, just so he could say that and not be lying. Mother had quite seriously explained to him that it was to his benefit to generally say as little as possible, and not correct the assumptions people made if they suited his purpose.

“All right, let us go to 49F, then.”

A short trip via lift and he was in a wide open space. There were a number of men hanging around, talking, eating, and even reading. All of them held traces of Mother and evoked that same faint sense of kinship in him.

Cloud was led off down a corridor and to a door which had VR-05 on it, then inside. The room itself was starkly bare, with the same grey walls as outside, but there was a panel on the wall next to the door, which Lazard interfaced with using a small handheld device. (A PHS, according to Zack, or smartphone.)

He was admittedly more than a little surprised when the stark grey room transformed into a seemingly endless outdoor space with gently-waving grass and rolling hills.

“We will start with a selection of creatures known to inhabit the Nibel area and Mt Nibel in particular,” Lazard said, then tapped something on the screen of his PHS.

Cloud’s sword was in his hands a split second later and he bounded forward, set to eradicate anything that came his way. Mother had told him they would test him, though she did not know what form it would take. This VR simulation was quite handy, he thought.

The final creature of the set sent after him was a dragon, just like the one he had been fighting outside the reactor. It went down easily.

Lazard seemed cautiously impressed. “Next we will try…”

He was run through enemies from Icicle area and Mideel area, both of which went well, despite him having to devise tactics on the fly against creatures he had never before encountered.

“And lastly, a spar. 2nd Class Fair, if you will?”

Zack nodded, which at least told Cloud the man’s family name, and detached his sword from his back, bringing it to a ready position once he had moved away from Lazard and Kunsel. Mother would expect him to hold back at first, to see just how skilled this man was, and to not show off too much so as not to be seen as a threat to these people.

He brought up his sword and nodded, then immediately blocked. Fighting a person was nothing like fighting a creature. It was exhilarating and random at first, but then he began to see the patterns in the way the man fought and could adapt to them.

Lazard called off the spar after ten minutes, presumably having seen what he needed to. “Excellent,” he said, nodding slightly. “Very much excellent. Well, Strife, are you willing to sign on with SOLDIER?”

“Yes.” Mother had told him to, told him it would gain him training, life experience, and bring him closer to his mate, though he still had no idea who that would be. Surely not people like Zack and Kunsel, though. They had only a faint echo of Mother in comparison to Cloud himself. They could be … friends? Comrades, certainly. But not equals, not unless Mother decided to intervene and gift of herself to them.

They headed back up to 51F and Cloud was subjected to a stack of paperwork to read through, initial, and sign. Zack stuck around, but Kunsel wandered off. Cloud assumed at some point the two men would write up a report of their activities in Nibelheim and Mt Nibel, but that was none of his business.

Two hours later Lazard nodded and shuffled everything into a folder, then addressed his computer. “Now, for a room assignment…”

“He can room with me,” Zack said. “And I can take him to get outfitted, do a little shopping…”

Lazard looked up and eyed Zack for a touch too long, then nodded. “Let me make a key, then.”

Cloud was curious, but not so curious as to start asking questions right there in the office. Zack seemed to have taken a liking to him, which could be highly advantageous.

Shortly thereafter Cloud had an ID card, a key card, and a sheaf of requisition forms he could turn in to get his new things. Zack ushered him off to 49F again and into Supply, where he bantered with the fellow on duty. Cloud was handed a uniform and pointed at a dressing room so he could check the fit.

He walked away from Supply with a dozen uniforms, a bracelet with two linked slots (he planned to wear it in conjunction with the one he already had), a broadsword that he questioned the effectiveness of, a standard kit of materia, and a standard kit of potions. He was also given a helmet, but…

“Up to you if you wear it,” the fellow on duty said. “Some do, some don’t.”

Zack cheerfully hauled him off to their quarters so Cloud could drop things off and get changed (and transfer much of his existing collection to his new pockets), then hauled him off again to go shopping.

“There’s tons of stuff up here we can do or see, but I want to see if there are any neat weapons under the plate.”

Cloud nodded.

“I’ll give you the full briefing on how stuff works in SOLDIER once we’re back at the apartment,” Zack said as they walked toward the train station, “so for now I’ll explain a bit about the city. There are nine sectors, both above and below the plate. Sector Zero is the center, where the Shinra Building is. Arrayed around that are Sectors One through Eight, with a mako reactor on the exterior wall, at the end of the spoke between each sector.

“Below the plate, well… It’s not nice down there, but there’s plenty of people and a fair number of things to do when we’re not on duty or on call. Wall Market has some interesting stuff, which is where we’re going. Just, you know, keep an eye on your stuff. Lotta pickpockets down there.”

Zack continued to explain various things as they boarded the train and started their journey downward. From what Cloud could see, the train headed under the plate in a spiral around Sector Zero, which extended downward like a fat column, serving as the main support for the plates overhead.

When they arrived he was appalled to see the conditions. Too many of the adults looked listless and the area itself sported pile upon pile of rubble or half-destroyed buildings. Others looked cobbled together. Wall Market was in Sector 6 and served as an entertainment center (the sheer number of neon signs with silhouettes of presumably naked woman said much) and shopping area.

Unfortunately there was not a better weapon available than the one he had, but he did find a selection of goggles he could afford with the money he had earned hunting, so he purchased two more in the event that his original ones got damaged.

He wasn’t sure he wanted to know what was in some of the food on offer. It was still better than starving, but he hoped they would have something decent as members of SOLDIER.

Back on the plate, in their apartment, Zack gave him the rundown. “There were three elite, SOLDIER 1st Class. Genesis deserted a ways back, Angeal, my mentor, went missing, and Sephiroth is still here. He’s mostly called General Sephiroth, but, well… Then there are the 1st Class SOLDIERs, the highest normal rank. 2nd Class, which is what I am. And then 3rd Class, which is what everyone starts as. I’m not sure how they’ll rank you, not until you’ve done enough missions, I guess, since you didn’t enter SOLDIER the usual way.

“Everyone else is either a SOLDIER cadet, meaning they’re undergoing training and testing to see if they make the cut, or part of the Public Security Division, which is kind of like infantry and stuff, or finally, those who get invited into the Turks. Their official division name is the Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department, but they do have a shorter name.”

“That’s a mouthful,” he commented.

Zack grinned. “Yeah. That’s why it’s politely shortened to Administrative Research, but almost always just known as the Turks. They are technically under Heidegger, just like Public Security is.”

“Administrative Research sounds… Not exactly honest,” he opined.

Zack shook his head. “They do a lot of undercover stuff, the kind of things people aren’t supposed to know about or find out about. So, really, no telling what they’re up to. We SOLDIERs mostly stick to 48F, 49F and 51F, and we only go to 51F normally to talk to Director Lazard. Everything else is on 49F. You know, VR, mission briefing, the lounge. You can sign up for extra missions in a room off the briefing room, but I expect for now they’ll be sending you out with someone else, until they got your measure.”

“All right. It is a bit unusual, now that I’ve heard how things are.”

“Now, food!” Zack said. “What stuff do you like?”

Cloud shrugged. “There wasn’t a lot of variety in Nibelheim. Snow hare was a delicacy. Wolf meat was commonplace. Not a lot of vegetables grow in that kind of cold, but some do. We ate what we had and whatever we could trade for when a trading group came through.”

Zack’s eyes went wide. “Man, and I thought it was rough in Gongaga! I gotta make sure you get what real food is, Spike. Oh, can I call you Spike? You look like a Spike.”

He had, at one point, considered growing his hair out so it would be more like Mother’s, but she had simply laughed in his mind and said no, that she loved her darling’s hair just the way it was. Except for the colour, clearly, which she had altered to a midway point between his original and hers.

“Now I have the absurd urge to learn how to use railroad spikes as a weapon,” he muttered, which only made Zack laugh.

When he first met Sephiroth his body sang. The general had as much or more of Mother in him as Cloud did. The look on the man’s face was blank, but the resonance between them said more. There was a cautious curiosity there. He found himself desperately hoping that this was the man chosen by Mother to be his mate.

He had so much presence that Cloud wanted to fall at his feet, but he did not. He rather figured Mother would be upset with him if he showed so much deference around potential enemies, and Sephiroth might not even be the one.

He would be … deferential, watchful, observant, and patient.

Hojo was a vile man, with long, oily, black hair and gaunt, harsh features. He laughed like pain and death were his companions and he clearly reveled in the feelings of uneasiness from others, or even their fear.

He had thrown such a look of interest at Cloud when he had the blood-work done, but Cloud could sense that the man had injected himself with Jenova, which meant Mother had some control over him, if she could reach that far. It meant Cloud had some control over the man, as Hojo was lesser, and a danger, and Cloud would not let Mother down, would not let this man damage him.

Just a nudge here, a tweak there, and Hojo saw him as interesting, but not remarkable enough to experiment on, or inject things into aside from pure mako, to boost him even higher. After all, it was not as if Cloud could easily get his hands on any from a fountain or spring, not in a city of metal.

#### [ν]εγλ 0001

Zack had taken to babbling about his little flower girl in the Spring. He had been promoted to SOLDIER 1st Class at the start of April. Just the day after things had gone to hell. Genesis and Angeal had been declared killed in action the month before, but that was clearly a lie, as Genesis had showed up with an army of look-a-likes to attack Midgar.

Zack had been dispatched to assist the Turks in fighting them off, had tracked Hollander, a Shinra scientist somewhat similar (but inferior) to Hojo, to Mako Reactor 5, but had been attacked by the “dead” Angeal and sent tumbling down below the plate.

Which, interestingly enough, was how Zack met his little flower girl, after crashing through the roof of an already decrepit church.

Cloud only knew that much as when Zack was ordered back topside, they were sent on a mission to Modeoheim along with some infantrymen. SOLDIERs could hear even very quiet voices, so he was briefed on the way by Zack.

The end result was that Genesis escaped and Angeal was cut down by Zack, who inherited the man’s Buster Sword. Cloud was disturbed to realize that Genesis and Angeal both had fair traces of Mother’s essence, but it was … twisted. It had not been properly assimilated. Those two men were better off dead in his opinion, and now one of them was.

What became of Genesis would remain to be seen.

For his part Cloud was ranked a 2nd Class SOLDIER, and continued to room with Zack. He was content with that. His purpose in Midgar was to learn, to improve, and wait for Mother to arrange for him to return to her.

#### [ν]εγλ 0002

Cloud concealed his pleasure on hearing he would be heading to Nibelheim with Sephiroth to deal with another monster problem, one threatening the reactor on Mt Nibel. He had been chosen by Sephiroth himself, as Director Lazard had gone missing in early summer. They would be taking three infantrymen with them, one of them as their driver. The next morning he said good-bye to Zack, having prepared the night before, and headed to the helipad. They would take a helicopter to the west continent to save time, then go by truck the remainder of the way.

It was in the truck that the actual briefing occurred. The two non-driver infantrymen were sitting on the floor, backs against the interior walls of the truck, and Sephiroth was seated on a supply crate.

“Our mission is to investigate the mako reactor,” Sephiroth said above the sound of the truck’s engine and the lashing rain outside. “There have been reports of it malfunctioning, and producing brutal creatures. First, we will dispose of those creatures. Then, we’ll locate the problem and neutralize it.”

Sephiroth had barely closed his mouth when something rammed into the truck, causing the driver to panic and slam on the brakes. Sephiroth sighed slightly and gestured to Cloud, and they exited to find a dragon outside.

Sephiroth gave him a sidelong look, so Cloud nodded and attacked, easily destroying the thing’s life. They were back in the truck and on their way within a minute.

“Excellent work.”

“Thank you, sir,” he replied quietly.

Not long after the rain swept away to reveal a lowering sun, and they pulled up to the exterior of town.

“It’s your first time back here in a long time, right?” Sephiroth asked once they disembarked. “So how does it feel? I wouldn’t know because I don’t have a hometown.”

“The town itself? I feel nothing. My home was the mountain.”

He was eyed curiously for a moment. “All right, let’s go. …The scent of mako is strong here.”

The town itself seemed deserted, with residents cowering in their homes due to the monster incursion, that or they were afraid of two SOLDIERs striding through the village along with the masked infantrymen.

“We leave for the reactor at dawn,” Sephiroth said. “One of you as lookout, three hours, then come wake one of your fellows to take the second shift, then switch for the third. Once we leave town, the driver will remain to keep an eye on the truck. Let’s get ourselves settled.”

The inn was a tiny, pokey place, with just one room upstairs and three beds, which was awkward with four people needing to sleep at any given time during the night. Downstairs had the front desk, the kitchen, and a dining area, which he had always assumed was there for those evenings when people preferred to gather rather than stay in their homes. The inn part of the place must have been there purely for traders and Shinra personnel who did not stay in the manor.

Sephiroth was gazing out one of the windows in the upstairs hallway.

“Anything interesting, sir?” he asked.

“…This scenery. I feel like I know this place. I would have arranged for a guide, but you already know the mountain. There’s no point to that expense.”

He shook his head. “And the mountain didn’t change in all the time I spent there, aside from that one time when the bridge went out. It won’t be a problem, sir. I hope you don’t mind, but I’d prefer to avoid the bridges. It’ll make the trek longer, but it will be safer overall. I know exactly how painful it is to fall when one of those bridges collapses.”

“That’s fine. How old were you?”

“Nine, I think. Would you like me to order anything for you from the kitchen, sir? There won’t be much of a selection, though, I’m afraid.”

“Some stew, perhaps. Get some for the two who’ll be taking second and third shift on watch.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll be back shortly.” He headed back down and put in an order for four bowls of stew, bread, butter, and a jug of water. Hopefully no one would ask exactly what was in that stew, as he did not think non-natives would be keen to know they might be ingesting wolf meat rather than hare.

Shortly thereafter he was back upstairs with a tray, which he slid onto a sideboard in the bedroom. Sephiroth served himself and sat at the small table there. Cloud followed, and only then did the two infantrymen take their portion, though they sat on one of the beds.

The two infantrymen were packed off to clean up and were ordered to bed (they would have to share one) so they would be rested for their shifts, whereas he and Sephiroth went back into the hallway after Cloud delivered the tray back downstairs to the desk.

“It is odd, then, being here?”

He hummed. “Somewhat. I don’t miss the town. They don’t miss me.” He felt a slight surge in his body; it was Mother, letting him know she was listening. He felt such happiness being so near to Mother again, to her wisdom and guidance.

“Get some rest, Strife. Dawn will come soon enough.”

“Yes, sir. Sleep well.”

At dawn the four of them set out with Cloud as their guide up the mountain. He disdained the bridges, as promised, and led them on the longer route, which brought them into the cave with the mako fountain, though from the south. He just did not trust those bridges with so many people on them at once.

The cave itself was almost an impossibility. There were several gnarled trees growing in there, leaved with green, and the fountain at the center sent up a scintillating shaft of green light toward a break in the roof.

“A miracle of nature,” Sephiroth said quietly, himself gazing upon the fountain. “It’s very rare to see materia in its natural state,” he added, referring to the crystal structure atop the fountain. “…All right, let’s move on.”

Cloud nodded and headed out the break in the cave wall to the north. From there it was a winding but still relatively short journey to the reactor itself, where Sephiroth took command again. He ordered the two infantrymen to wait outside and stand guard.

Inside Sephiroth looked around in a mixture of interest and contempt. “This is Hojo’s work.”

“The man who did my blood-work, at the Shinra Building?”

“Yes. An inexperienced man assigned to take over the work of a great scientist. He was a walking mass of complexes. Hm,” Sephiroth said, eyeing one of the pods. “A valve is open here that should not be.”

“On it, sir,” he said, moving over so he could close the thing. As he did so Sephiroth pulled himself up so he could look through the portal of the next nearest pod. “Now I see. Hojo. But even doing this, he will never be on the same level as Professor Gast. This is a system that condenses and freezes mako. That is, when it’s working correctly.”

“It becomes materia.”

“Correct. But Hojo put something else in these. Take a look.” Sephiroth stepped aside.

He had never looked inside the pods, not even when he was tall enough to likely manage it. Mother had asked him not to. He felt no dissent from Mother, so he did as his commanding officer said and pulled himself up so he could see inside. Mako, certainly, but also some kind of monster. He dropped back down quickly. “Sir!?”

“Normal members of SOLDIER are humans who have been showered with mako, different, but still essentially human. But this? They’ve been exposed to a far higher concentration of mako.”

“Were these people?” he asked uneasily.

“Yes, mutated beyond human, into monsters. Possibly even SOLDIERs who ‘went missing’, or SOLDIER candidates who did not make the cut.” Sephiroth shook his head violently. “Was I created like this? Am I a monster?”

‘ _No, my darling Sephiroth_ ,’ came Mother’s voice. ‘ _You are not a monster_.’

Cloud sighed in pleasure at hearing it again, but Sephiroth’s head snapped up, toward the door at the top of the stairs.

“What…?”

‘ _Come to me, my beloved Cloud. Come to me, my darling Sephiroth’._

Cloud immediately abandoned his commanding officer and trotted up the stairs and through the door so he could gaze upon Mother again.

‘ _I am overjoyed to see you again, my darling_.’

He could feel Sephiroth come up behind him as he said, “Mother. I missed you, so much. I felt so alone without you.”

‘ _I know, my darling. But you have grown stronger in your absence. This pleases me. You have done well_.’

“Thank you, Mother.”

“Mother…?”

‘ _That’s right, my darling Sephiroth. I am your mother, Jenova. You don’t know how pleased I am that you’re here. You and your mate_.’

Cloud huffed in delight. He _was_ the one Mother had chosen! The man who made him want to offer himself completely.

‘ _Yes, this is who I chose as your mate, my beloved Cloud. He is just as much my son as you are, my darling. The first time you mate the final change you must undergo will be initiated, and you will thereafter be able to bear your mate’s children. The first girl child will be my new vessel_.’

He sucked in a breath. “I feel so blessed, Mother.”

Mother hummed softly in the back of his mind, then spoke, ‘ _I want you to do one more injection, my beloved Cloud. You know what to do. And also one for your mate_.’

“Yes, Mother,” he said obediently, and fetched two syringes from the supply crate. He filled them from the valve, then injected one into a vein. He turned to see that Sephiroth had already removed his long coat and bared one arm. Cloud smiled and found a vein, then injected Mother’s essence into his mate. The two syringes were discarded to the side.

The pain was nothing at that point.

‘ _My darling Sephiroth, strip your mate and show him just how much you want him, and how much you want to please me_.’

Sephiroth didn’t hesitate. He immediately turned to Cloud and began to carefully strip off his armor and clothing.

‘ _Be commanding when you are mating, my darling Sephiroth. Your roles must be properly set_.’

“Yes, Mother,” Sephiroth said as he pushed Cloud down onto his hands and knees. He removed his own armor and clothing, Masamune set carefully to the side, then ordered, “Prepare me, mate.”

Cloud nodded and shuffled forward so he could latch onto his mate’s cock and suckle it. He assumed that Sephiroth was receiving private instruction from Mother, which was only proper, as he would need to know specifics, whereas Cloud could simply enjoy things.

His mate’s hand came down to tangle in his hair and grip hard, guiding the movement of his head. He realized he liked it. He loved it even more when he was pushed back and Sephiroth knelt behind him. There was a short pause, the sound of a potion being opened, and then the sound of glass hitting the floor.

Then it was shock and pain and being filled as his mate’s cock pushed into him. And then he was being rammed into like they were animals, hard and savage and he loved every second of it, being the mate to Mother’s other son, and as the eventual vessel for the rebirth of Mother.

His mate’s grip on his hips was bruisingly strong and his cock kept hitting something inside Cloud that sent shocks of pure pleasure through his body. His own cock was painfully hard and he could feel it twitching, feel his balls start to contract closer to his body, and then he was letting out a strangled grunt as his cock pulsed and spurted and he was awash in ecstasy.

Sephiroth chuckled and slammed into him harder, then stilled, just his hips twitching, and finally relaxed his grip.

‘ _Well done, my darlings, I am pleased, but stay like that for the moment. You will experience some pain, my beloved Cloud, as the final change sets in, but it will pass. If you feel any discomfort, my darling Sephiroth, you may sit back and pull Cloud to you, so that you remain inside him_.’

Sephiroth did so, and Cloud found himself pulled back against his mate’s damp chest. He could already feel the pain starting, somewhere in his abdomen and between his legs, back behind his balls. His mate’s cock in his ass gave him a connection, though, something to focus on.

‘ _Once the change is complete you will be able to impregnate your mate, my darling Sephiroth. He is very sturdy, so bearing children will be simple enough. We need to talk about Hojo, my darlings, and Shinra Company. They must be destroyed. The mako reactors must be destroyed. They bleed the planet dry of life, my darlings, and must be stopped_.’

“Yes, Mother,” they said.

‘ _I am going to teach you both how to properly control anyone who carries my essence, for the purpose of making our plans come more easily to fruition. By the time we are done I will be empress, you two kings, and we shall rule this planet of inferior humans’._

“Yes, Mother.”

He winced and pressed a hand against his stomach as a sharp pain rippled through him, then shifted his attention back to soothing sensation of his mate’s cock in his ass, grounding him. And Mother.


	2. 02: [ν]εγλ 0002

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ebook copies: [[.azw3](http://ff.grazhir.com/lld/Love%20Like%20Drowning%20-%20Shivani.azw3)] [[.epub](http://ff.grazhir.com/lld/Love%20Like%20Drowning%20-%20Shivani.epub)] [[.mobi](http://ff.grazhir.com/lld/Love%20Like%20Drowning%20-%20Shivani.mobi)]

## 02: [ν]εγλ 0002

#### [ν]εγλ 0002

Shinra Mansion was a desolate place, furred in dust and stretched with cobwebs. Mother had revealed that Sephiroth had been born in that very manor, but far below ground. She had cautioned them that Hojo had left many lies in the rooms down there, and that they were to destroy all the documentation and lab equipment.

There was one thing she told them to avoid, an experiment of Hojo’s left there locked away, the one who held Chaos. Mother did not have the exact specifics of the manor, so they would have to find out for themselves.

The monsters that infested the place were easily enough killed and corpses littered the floors. They could be destroyed with Fire Materia later, though the smell would be something awful. Or just left there to rot. It didn’t seem as if Shinra had much interest in the place given its condition.

Poking around netted them a combination that went to a safe in a room on the western side of the manor, and which required them to battle a monstrosity that somehow oozed out of a safe too small for it. Inside was an Odin Materia, which he handed over to his mate without being asked or ordered, and a key. There was also a manual in there. It was useless to them, but Sephiroth said, “Take it anyway.”

“Yes, sir.”

Various weapons and potions were scattered around, all of which were collected, and the weapons piled up in the foyer. The eastern side of the upper floor had a room with a suspicious outline on the wall, which Sephiroth sliced through with Masamune. A doorway was revealed, opening to a deep shaft with a staircase spiraling around, bolted to the stone.

They exited at the base directly across from the stairs and investigated. “How is there even enough air down here?” he said softly.

“Here,” Sephiroth said, pointing at a door with his sword. “I expect this is locked. We will avoid it. We can put that key someplace safe, later. For now, let us investigate the rest.”

“Yes, sir. Do you think it would be possible to attract Mother’s essence in Hojo and call it to us? Or ask it to kill the man?”

Sephiroth paused and looked back at him, his cat’s eyes narrowed at him.

“I asked Mother two years ago if I should kill Hojo for her, when she warned me about him. She said not to unless I could be absolutely certain I wouldn’t be caught. I noticed when I went in for blood-work that I could sense Mother in him, but just faintly, and I’ve had two years to think it over. It’s unlikely we could do the same to any others Mother tells us to kill, as I doubt even a hack like Hojo would have been so free with Mother’s essence.”

“How long did it take you to sense it, Cloud?”

“Immediately, sir, as soon as he walked into the room. I saw how he looked at me once the results came back, and I was able to influence him enough at the time to make him back off. Mother would have been most unhappy if he did anything to me.”

“Well done, Cloud. And yes, I believe this is something we should consider. Mother may have her own thoughts on it, whether it could work.”

‘ _It may, my darlings_ ,’ Mother spoke into their minds. ‘ _You may have to work in concert to make that request. I want you first to influence Hojo to retrieve my capsule and bring it to Midgar, preferably with you two being on the team, and the scientists who assist you suffering a tragic accident at some point shortly thereafter. Once that has been done, we can work together to strike him down_.’

“Yes, Mother,” they said.

‘ _I should clarify something, my darlings. Now that you are mated you may mate as often as the urge strikes, but not for children, not yet. Certain things must first be accomplished before it will be safe for impregnation_.’

“Yes, Mother,” they said, but Sephiroth added, his gaze upon Cloud possessive, “Perhaps after a few issues have been taken care of I can order Cloud to be moved to my quarters. It is his rightful place, with me.”

‘ _That is very thoughtful of you, my darling Sephiroth. You should have privacy from the humans when you wish to mate with Cloud_.’

“Could we move your capsule there, too, Mother?” he asked. “You should not be stuck in a lab!”

‘ _My beloved Cloud, you are also so thoughtful. It would please me, yes, to be able to gaze upon my darling sons each day, to witness the very act which shall give birth to my new vessel. Yes, make it so, my darlings, once it is safe to do so. And once I am there, we can plan more. Now finish your mission here_.’

“Yes, mother,” they said.

Sephiroth continued down the hallway and into a lab, where he frowned with distaste. “First let us check everything here for any documentation.”

“Yes, sir,” he replied, then set about searching everything on his side of the room for any form of paperwork. All that he found was stacked over by the computer down there, which his mate was busy with, checking to see where it was storing its data.

“That’s everything I can find, sir,” he said after he had gone over the room twice and poked every wall looking for secret compartments.

“Good. Bring the documentation along into the study I see,” Sephiroth said as he abandoned the computer to continue down a passage lined with bookshelves.

“Yes, sir.” He hefted everything into his arms and followed, then looked to his mate for instructions. The room itself had yet more bookshelves, packed with various tomes and scrolls.

“We’re going to burn all of it. We will pull all of these books and scrolls down, to the center of the room, including the ones in the passage.”

“Yes, sir.” His burden was placed at the center of the study, then he went to the passage to begin sweeping books off the shelves. Shortly thereafter everything visible had been stacked up and his mate had already broken open the drawers of the desks there and pulled yet more books and papers and scrolls from them to add to the pile.

Then they went over the study and passage carefully, looking for any secrets, his mate even going to the trouble to pry bookcases off the wall to look behind them and checking under the desks for hidden compartments, not to mention slicing _through_ the desks themselves.

“We have been as thorough as we can be,” Sephiroth stated. “That being said, let us move into the passage, Cloud.” Thirty seconds later his mate was torching the pile with a Fire Materia, ensuring all of it was consumed or blackened beyond reading before using an Ice Materia to douse the flames.

“Good. Let us take care of the laboratory, then. We will smash everything, Cloud.”

“Yes, sir,” he said happily, then hefted his sword and began to shatter and smash everything on his side of the room, breaking all of it down into unrecoverable scrap. His mate was doing the same on his side. Cloud had to wonder if Hojo’s locked away experiment was disturbed by all of it, but decided it did not matter. The computer was unplugged, all the cables ripped free, and then it, too, was smashed into pieces.

“Good,” Sephiroth repeated. “I believe it’s time to return topside.”

“Should we destroy the staircase once we’re up there, sir?”

Sephiroth paused again. “Yes,” he decided. “We can drop some of those corpses down to shatter the steps.” Then he swiftly headed for the staircase and up it, Cloud hastening to follow.

It was when they reached the top that Cloud sensed someone similar to them nearby, and Mother spoke to them.

‘ _I sense it, too, my beloved Cloud. There is another. An imperfect melding, an abomination. My darlings, you will test the theory on it. Call to the Jenova cells in its body, as you are closer than I. Call on them to kill_.’

“Yes, Mother.”

“The stairs can be handled after,” Sephiroth decided.

Outside the manor were two knocked-out infantrymen and a man in red and black. He bore a red sword and had a single black wing stretching out from his back. Cloud blinked and cocked his head to the side, then concentrated on the Jenova essence within their target. He could feel his mate doing the same, completely ignoring whatever the man was babbling on about in such a condescending tone.

He saw his mate nod ever so slightly in his peripheral vision, and they _pulled_ on Mother’s essence, ordering it. The one-winged man let out a choked yell of agony and dropped to the ground. He writhed and rolled around, his hair bleaching out from red to white, his skin going papery and wrinkled. And then he just stopped moving, his sword falling out of a limp and lifeless grasp.

Cloud watched with awed eyes as the body started to disintegrate. It took several minutes, but the end result was nothing more than dust, leaving everything else untouched.

‘ _Excellently done, my darlings. Thank you_.’

“Take the sword, Cloud. There’s no reason not to. You may even like it.”

“Yes, sir,” he said, moving to retrieve it.

“Check what’s left for anything useful and keep an eye on the infantrymen. I will take care of that staircase,” his mate said before pivoting and heading back inside.

He glanced at the two humans, then rifled through the red and black outfit, taking various potions and materia, as well as a well-worn book: _Loveless_.

A few minutes later Sephiroth emerged with a collection of strapped-together weapons and eyed the book. “It’s trash, Cloud. Just leave it. Grab one of the infantrymen and I will take the other. We can let them awaken in a bed at the inn.”

“Yes, sir.” The book was carelessly tossed onto the outfit, the left infantryman hefted over his shoulder, and he followed his mate back into town. The men were dumped onto the bed nearest the door to recover (Sephiroth tossed a Cure at them, just in case) and they went back into the hallway.

“I secured a handful of potions, sir, but most of it was materia.”

Sephiroth nodded. “We can go over it once we return to Midgar, unless you prefer to sort through it tonight.”

He nodded as groans sounded from the bedroom. “Would you like me to get food for us, sir?”

“…Yes. Same as last time.”

“Yes, sir.”

Zack was torn between dismay and satisfaction when informed that Genesis—the real one—was dead beyond question. Cloud got the idea that Zack had never been too keen on the man, and his opinion did not improve after having to deal with so many copies of the man, of the 2nd and 3rd Class SOLDIERs who had defected with Genesis and had then been so stupid as to let the man inject his imperfect essence into them.

Well, not everyone could be chosen by Mother.

Sephiroth called him in for a meeting the day after they returned from the mission. Cloud placed a box of materia on his mate’s desk and took the seat he was gestured to.

“Anything interesting?”

“Not much, sir. The only thing out of the ordinary are some summons and an Enemy Skill Materia.”

Sephiroth’s brow went up. “Interesting. I believe Hojo has one of those. Take whatever you want from our spoils, including that Enemy Skill. The rest can go to the general SOLDIER supply for now.”

“Yes, sir, thank you,” he said, then fished out the ones he wanted, plus the Enemy Skill as ordered, and tucked them away, either in his pockets or in his equipment.

“I want you at my apartment this evening, Cloud, six o’clock,” his mate said, then handed over a key card. “Keep that safe. We can have dinner together, and then discuss a few things regarding that mission. I’ve already filed the report for it, so that is done.”

He tucked the card away on an inside pocket of his belt and nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“So professional,” his mate whispered, the barest curve of his mouth denoting a smile. “Six o’clock, Cloud, just let yourself in. Dismissed.”

He nodded, got up, and exited the room, almost desperately hoping Sephiroth wanted to mate him again. He strongly suspected that Mother had ensured he would always want his mate, always be willing, and he couldn’t find it in himself to be upset. The experience had been amazing and every time he had nothing better to do (such as the truck and helicopter rides back to Midgar) he relived it in his mind, wanting to feel it all over again. Just the thought of Mother letting Sephiroth impregnate him filled him with yearning.

He let himself in as ordered and closed the door behind him. Sephiroth’s apartment was spacious and decorated in grey, silver, and pale green, with the odd bit of black or white splashed around. Sephiroth looked up from where he seated, book dropping down. “Cloud. Welcome to my apartment, soon to be ours.”

“Sir.”

“I think, in here, you may use my name.”

He smiled. “What are we having for dinner?”

“An utterly pedestrian meal of cheeseburgers and fries.”

Cloud laughed after a shocked moment. “Guilty secret type thing?”

Sephiroth nodded. “If you’re hungry I can start making it now.”

“Please.” He followed his mate into the kitchen and fetched up against the wall. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No, it’s fine. I’d like to do this, especially this first time. It gives me a sense of satisfaction. But once I can order your room assignment changed, perhaps we could trade off on the cooking. And when we’re feeling lazy, we can have something delivered.”

“I’d have to learn first,” he admitted. “The most I ever did personally was cook wolf or hare over an open fire on the mountain. The woman who birthed me handled morning and evening meals.”

Sephiroth looked over his shoulder for a moment. He looked just as good with the coat off as on. “How did you meet Mother?”

“I was … eight. I called her the whisper at first, because that’s what I was hearing in my mind. The whisper encouraged me to become stronger, to learn how to fight, and suggested I start with a sturdy stick. Over time I could hear a little better, as I was able to make it higher up the mountain, that and I got lucky to find a sword up there, so I had a real weapon.

“By the time a year had gone by I could hear the whisper clearly. She guided me, helped me to figure things out. I was ten when I made it to the reactor and she told me to come in, but not to be scared of anything I might see. I was shocked when I entered her room. I’d never seen anyone without clothes before, and I was so sad because I thought she must be in pain because of what they’d done to her.”

“And the change?”

“Mother told me her name and asked if I would like _her_ to be my mother. I was really lonely. My birth mother could barely look at me, and the townsfolk hated me. I said yes, and she instructed me on the injections she wanted me to do, and later, injections of the pure mako from the fountain. My hair was, eh, more yellow, before, and my eyes used to be human. Now they have pale green at the center and my pupils are like yours. It’s why I wore goggles so often once I got some from a passing trader.”

Sephiroth nodded. “So the humans would not find more to be afraid of or angry about.”

“Yes, exactly.”

“What else did Mother tell you? Because I am becoming convinced that you being found and brought back to Midgar was not serendipity.”

Cloud laughed again. “It wasn’t. Mother told me she had chosen a mate for me, for one. She also said that she was going to call creatures to the reactor area, and closer to the town, so that Shinra would come. I was to be there outside the reactor so they could see my skill and want to take me back with them. Mother wanted to me to gain more experience, and with people who could directly help with that training. The moment I saw you I wanted to throw myself at you, but Mother hadn’t told me who, so…”

“So you were untouched, good.” Sephiroth turned and placed two plates on the table, then poured two cups of tea and set them down as well.

Cloud pushed off the wall and took a seat, then began to eat. It was delicious, though it probably tasted better than normal because his mate prepared it.

“I have been considering the idea of us influencing Hojo in the middle of the night,” his mate said between bites of his cheeseburger.

“So that he wakes up thinking it’s his own idea?”

Sephiroth nodded. “We can keep trying every few days until I get the mission request.”

“I’m wondering when the ones who accompany us should die. Maybe when we kill Hojo we could first have him appear to go insane and take out a good number of people in the science department? Make him paranoid about the fact that those people knew where Mother was being kept and…”

“An excellent idea. Yes, yes. So long as we are both focusing on the same goals, yes. You were already able to influence Hojo, so there is no reason we cannot together, and with more leverage. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Mother may help us once we explain your idea.”

“I expect it will be a bit awkward meeting in the middle of the night what with me rooming with Zack,” he said.

“I will have to find some missions he can go on which will take him away from Midgar those times, ones which will require an overnight stay. Worst case is I decide to become annoyed with his overabundance of energy and assign him missions under the plate at night, dealing with excessive monster populations.”

He bit his lip to keep from laughing, then bit into his cheeseburger again.

“And if he questions it, I will point out that there is less chance of collateral damage if the residents are sleeping.”

Cloud laughed quietly and had some of his fries, which had just the right amount of salt. “You could always send him on a vacation. Do we even get those in SOLDIER?”

Sephiroth smirked at him. “Yes, on occasion. Many SOLDIERs seem drawn to Costa del Sol for some reason. You never indicated that you wanted one, so…”

He ducked his head for a moment. “I didn’t want to be away from you for too long.”

His mate merely nodded, though Cloud thought he detected a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes. “I will look for a mission for Zack in the morning. Once I have something set for him, I’ll send you a message on your PHS, so you’ll know which night to come here.” Sephiroth got up and bussed the plates to the sink, then walked around and held out his hand.

Cloud took it and rose, and let himself be led back into the living room. Sephiroth had three cushy chairs in there, which was somehow surprising to him, but he took one after his mate sat down. They were angled so any occupants could see each other and interact. The table was set equidistant, presumably to facilitate ease in getting or placing a drink, or possibly even participating in some kind of game.

“So how have you been occupying your time between missions?”

“Reading everything I could get my hands on. It was rare for traders to carry books, and there weren’t a lot in town. Mostly books for students in the little school, because most jobs were hands-on. Learning how to drive, both a car and a motorcycle. Learning my way around here. Below the plate, too, but never by myself. A single SOLDIER is already intimidating, but two or more means only the drunkest, most stupid sorts would dare start something. And let’s face it, I was fourteen when I arrived here. Even wearing a SOLDIER uniform I wasn’t as intimidating as most would be.”

“Zack and Kunsel?”

“Yes. I also attended some plays, films, concerts—all the things that don’t exist in Nibelheim. Basically, learning what life is like outside of a small, sheltered town that barely sees any outsiders.”

“And fending off admirers?” Sephiroth asked knowingly.

He could feel his face heat up at the question and bit his lip. “There were people who made it known they were open to something, but I pretended to be oblivious to any overtures.”

Sephiroth again looked pleased, not that it showed in his general expression. His eyes said volumes, though. He mentioned a film, which Cloud had seen, and they settled in to discuss it. Cloud was pleased that he and his mate were getting along, above and beyond being chosen by Mother as mates for each other.

Cloud wasn’t stupid. If he could use his own connection to Jenova to influence or affect others with Jenova’s essence, it stood to reason that Mother could affect him, and that meant _mentally_ as well as physically. He just … couldn’t bring himself to care. Mother loved him, and he was happy. He had a mate, who was a—how did that saying go? He was a tiger in the sack. Right. He did _not_ get the analogy, not in the least, but he was sure it fit.

He was beyond thrilled when, as they sky outside the windows darkened, Sephiroth rose and extended a hand to him, then led him into the bedroom. A delicious shiver ran down his spine as his mate stripped him of his clothing, positioned him on the bed, then stripped his own clothing off and presented his cock for Cloud to suckle in preparation for mating.

He eagerly did so because he knew what would follow. And sure enough, after several minutes of that his mate popped open a potion of some sort (healing by the looks of it) and coated his cock, then positioned himself behind Cloud and pushed inside. Only after he was fully seated did Sephiroth’s grip tighten almost painfully, and then he was being slammed into savagely and driven to an explosive orgasm.

He was mildly startled when he felt something wet against the base of his balls, but then the thought was lost when he was lost, his body taut with those exquisite shocks and pulses of pleasure thrumming through him.

Sephiroth bent down to cover his back and nuzzle his hair, then slowly pulled away.

Cloud jerked in place when fingers brushed between his legs and teased inward. “What…?” he whispered.

“I see,” his mate said. “I see what Mother has done.” Those fingers slid inside him, someplace new, and mimicked mating.

Cloud rolled his eyes in pleasure. He got the distinct feeling Mother had given him certain girl parts with that last change, all so he could bear his mate’s children. There were downsides to having grown up in a backwater with precious little education, and his ignorance on certain matters was one of them. It shouldn’t matter, though.

He was pushed flat and rolled over, all so Sephiroth could cover him and kiss him on the lips, which Cloud thought was rather sweet.

He returned to his shared apartment some time later, quietly pleased.

When Zack told him he’d be away on a mission and to not get into any trouble while he was gone, Cloud was already expecting it. Sephiroth had shot a quick message to him via PHS. “When do you leave?” he asked, attempting to look at least mildly concerned.

“First thing,” Zack said, hunting through his dresser to find things to pack.

“Okay, uh, for how long, then?”

“Oh, just a few days, Spike, not more than a week. Nothing to worry about. A quick dekko at the Gongaga reactor, a short holiday to visit with my parents, and then I’ll be back. Sooner if something urgent comes up.”

“All right. Maybe I’ll experiment with cooking while you’re gone,” he said. “You can’t poke fun at any mishaps if you’re not there to witness any.”

Zack laughed and reached over to give him a friendly slap on the back.

Once dinner had been eaten they repaired to the living room to sit on cushy chairs and discuss a book on tactics and how well it stood up to the various battles they had fought. Sephiroth had far more experience fighting humans as he had taken part in the Wutai War, but Cloud had at least seen his fair share of sparring during his time in SOLDIER, so he was not at a complete loss in that conversation.

Once night fell they switched to the bedroom, where Sephiroth mated him again, hard and savage. Cloud would be thrilled to be mated morning, noon, and night, but that was fairly unlikely to happen. Having heard and learned quite a bit of slang during his time in Midgar, he could admit (but would not) that he was a complete slut for his mate and would happily perch under Sephiroth’s desk during the day when Cloud was off-duty and suckle him to orgasm if his mate asked it of him, as many times as he asked.

He fell asleep pulled close to Sephiroth and was shaken awake several hours later and handed a robe to wear, then hauled off to the kitchen for a small meal, then—

“I believe now is a good time for us to try to influence Hojo. We are going to focus on two things. One, that he wants to move Mother’s capsule here to the Shinra Building in Midgar, and two, that you and I will be the SOLDIERs accompanying any scientists and technicians who will be required. Tell me when you are ready.”

He nodded and, once he had those exact concepts firmly in mind, said, “I’m ready.”

Sephiroth reached out to grasp his hand and said, “We begin … now.”

Two days later he was summoned to Sephiroth’s office and gestured into a seat.

“We have received a priority mission to Nibelheim,” his mate said, his expression giving nothing away. “Professor Hojo requires a sample of his from the Mt Nibel reactor to be transported here to the science department. He has … requested … that I lead the mission, and that you accompany me as a native of the area. Due to the importance of the sample we will be taking helicopters the entire way, refueling as necessary. You are officially off-duty until mission start, which will begin at 0800 three days from now. Prep for a week, just to be safe. Any questions?”

“Will we be landing outside the reactor, or outside the town, sir?”

“The reactor. It would be ill-advised to carry the specimen down the mountain. Far too much opportunity for accidents.”

“Defense only, or are we expected to assist with transport of the specimen from the reactor?”

“Defense only.”

“I have no further questions, sir.”

“Then dismissed.”

“Yes, sir.” Cloud rose, nodded, and wandered off. He received a message a few minutes later, inviting him to dinner that evening, for which he sent back an affirmative. Sephiroth had yet to say anything more on the subject of him learning to cook, but that might simply be because he could not yet be ordered to switch quarters. Then again, he was forming the opinion that Sephiroth preferred to be the one cooking, possibly because he saw it as a way to take care of his mate. He could ask directly, but that would take all the fun out of speculating.

Zack was due back sometime the next day, so he had one more night with his mate. At least, until a few more things were set in motion, and then he could be with him full time, though he did not doubt Zack would continue to want to do things together.

The mission itself was fairly simple. The scientists and technicians used a well-hidden lift just inside the entrance to the reactor. Sephiroth escorted them down to Jenova’s room while Cloud remained outside as a guard. He had spent the time until the mission in the VR Simulator, getting a feel for the rapier he had acquired from the previous trip and the eradication of Genesis.

‘ _We have arrived at Mother_ ,’ Sephiroth reported several minutes after Cloud set up outside.

‘ _Yes, and I am happy to see my darling Sephiroth_ ,’ Mother spoke.

‘ _Mother_ ,’ he spoke. ‘ _I feel very impatient to see you again_.’

‘ _Soon, my beloved Cloud_.’

Mother was like a drug. Not one that left him gasping with need if parted from, because he always had Mother with him, but one that left him yearning for her presence.

‘ _I am so happy to know that my darlings love me so_.’

‘ _We do, Mother_ ,’ Sephiroth spoke. ‘ _It will be much better when you are finally with us and can watch over us, and then_ …’

‘ _Our hearts belong first to you, Mother, always and forever, and then to each other_ ,’ he spoke.

‘ _My beloved darlings. No one else could possibly hope to have such devoted sons_.’

Sephiroth had wanted to switch suites to a larger one both to accommodate the inclusion of Cloud and to have room for Mother’s capsule, but he already had the largest suite as Shinra’s best SOLDIER, the Silver General. It would be something of a tight squeeze, but they would manage. Cloud did not have much in the way of possessions, and Sephiroth only used the bedroom for sleep, and for mating with Cloud.

The only other possible option would be for Sephiroth to take over the role as director of SOLDIER in fact, not just in the interim, which would warrant a move to Lazard’s old suite of rooms as one of Shinra’s executives.

‘ _I think that’s a lovely idea, my darlings_ ,’ Mother spoke. ‘ _My darling Sephiroth would have so much more leeway. And with the war over_ …’

He took care of a valron and two wolves come to prowl outside the reactor, wondering if use of a Manipulate Materia would make it simpler to get technicians to move Mother’s capsule to their soon-to-be shared bedroom, rather than just ordering it and intimidating them not to speak about it, or arranging for an accident.

‘ _Or, perhaps, simply influence Hojo to check to see that Mother is well, then have her capsule installed in the bedroom prior to the accident we will cause_ ,’ Sephiroth spoke.

His mouth quirked. Either his mate was learning to read his non-projected thoughts the way Mother did, or Mother had passed the idea on. He never once believed that he could hide anything from Mother, but he would like to be able to surprise Sephiroth on occasion, and Sephiroth him.

‘ _Worry not, my beloved Cloud_ ,’ Mother whispered in his mind. ‘ _I would not share things private to you, or make it impossible for you to surprise your mate_.’

He caught the verbal trick in that immediately, but laughed anyway, slicing through another group of wolves come to investigate.

Mother’s capsule was checked over by Hojo on their arrival back at the Shinra Building, and then he ordered (under their combined influence) it to be installed in Lazard’s bedroom. More pressure (because President Shinra was truly weak-willed in some ways and wanted to keep his head scientist happy) resulted in Sephiroth being promoted in fact to director of SOLDIER, and his personal possessions transferred to 51F. Of necessity, the contents of Sephiroth’s office were also transferred, leaving all three offices on 49F empty.

That is, until Zack and Kunsel were each given one. They discussed giving Cloud the third, but he had only been a SOLDIER for two years, and that sort of privilege could easily ruffle some feathers. It was already dicey given that Kunsel was SOLDIER 2nd Class, not 1st. Cloud didn’t care one way or the other. He could command troops, but preferred not to. He had spent too many years alone to easily trust others to perform well.

Cloud could have been moved into Sephiroth’s old apartment, even though he was officially a SOLDIER 2nd Class. Instead, Zack had been moved into it, which left Cloud alone in the two bedroom, which was mostly the same result anyway, but it looked better to the men for Zack to be “promoted” to a single.

Politics was something Cloud would hold intimate understanding of only if Mother decided to educate him, but he understood enough to see potential problems when dealing with emotional humans.

Zack was sent off on another mission, though not an overnight one. It simply made things a bit easier if he wasn’t there to notice something. Cloud was invited to share lunch with his commanding officer up on 51F, which also involved mating under Mother’s watchful eye.

And afterward, a meeting. Sephiroth had already gone over the director’s office and suite with a fine-toothed comb and added electronic jammers to cover the entire area to block out any attempts at spying. Even then they couldn’t help but be somewhat circumspect in what was said out loud.

“To the best of my knowledge, there’s only the one person,” Sephiroth said. ‘ _Hojo is it, according to my own senses, plus Mother’s sweep_.’

“But many who are aware of it,” he replied. ‘ _All those addle-brained cronies of his completely lacking in morals or ethics_.’

“Yes. We have the one handle the many.” ‘ _We influence Hojo to experiment on his own people, killing them, and then he dies of an induced brain aneurysm or something similar_.’

“A sound plan. When will this move, do you think?” ‘ _Should we give it a little time so there’s distance between retrieving Mother and this tragic accident_?’

Sephiroth nodded slightly in agreement. “I’ll have to consider it.” ‘ _No more than a fortnight, I think. You do realize that once I order your quarters changed, the higher-ups will assume I’ve done so because I’m using you as a convenient fuck_.’

Cloud nodded back and shrugged minutely. “Of course, sir.” ‘ _I don’t care. They can think what they want if they believe it’s keeping the Silver General satisfied and in line. It’s not as if their opinions matter to me. I’d be more concerned with them driving you to anger with nasty-minded comments_.’ Mother’s soft hum in the back of his mind was soothing.

“Are you certain you don’t want that third office?”

“Yes, sir, quite certain.” ‘ _We both know it’ll come across as blatant favoritism with the other SOLDIERs. They’re likely to shrug off any comments from the execs because they have personal experience with the both of us, you more so than me, but giving me that office would be like a slap in the face to them, and I don’t see the point in influencing them to ignore it. That would be far too selfish a use of our ability to do so_.’

Sephiroth’s eyes gleamed, with satisfaction he thought.

‘ _My beloved darlings_ ,’ Mother spoke. ‘ _I am detecting from Hojo that he has plans, plans to inject others with my essence and mako in an attempt to create so-called copies of my darling Sephiroth, bodies that will respond to my darling Sephiroth’s will as puppets. While amusing, this cannot be allowed. We will redirect that desire, in order to effect the tragedy soon to befall the science department, and Hojo himself_.’

Both nodded minutely. ‘ _Yes, Mother_.’

‘ _We will start tonight, my beloved darlings, before you two go to sleep. I will coordinate, so you need not make excuses for my beloved Cloud being somewhere other than his apartment_.’

‘ _Yes, Mother_ ,’ they spoke obediently.

Cloud knew Mother wouldn’t have it any other way.

It was a company-wide upset, the accident. Most were of the opinion that the stress of Hojo’s position had sent him off on a spiral of behavior that culminated in the deaths of a good half the department (oddly, they were all the most lacking in morals and ethics) and his own after he realized what had resulted from his actions. Officially Hojo’s death was listed as a brain aneurysm. An autopsy backed that up, mostly due to Mother, Sephiroth, and Cloud influencing Jenova cells to effect that exact biological failure.

President Shinra was beside himself, no longer having a head scientist of such renown. Gast had long since retired and subsequently died. Hollander had defected and was still being held in Junon, and now Hojo was dead. It allowed Sephiroth to quietly slide in with words of advice, which resulted in the transfer of Hollander from his imprisonment in Junon to Midgar, and subsequent execution.

After all, Sephiroth had argued, the two SOLDIERs under Hollander’s direct purview had both gone insane, defected, and attempted to destroy Shinra. Clearly Hollander could not be trusted. His mate had talked President Shinra around on the matter of Sephiroth himself going over the personnel in the science department (with Mother’s able assistance when it came to verbal gymnastics) so as to compile a list of the top candidates to take over as head of that department.

That left the issue of Scarlet, Heidegger, and Palmer, the other top threats inside the company, Rufus aside. The Turks were a threat, but only if pushed far enough to defect and actively work against Shinra, and they seemed tight with Rufus. Get the one, get them all, presumably.

If it were not for the fact that literally destroying Shinra would cause the deaths of many, many people…

“I’ve chosen someone with brains, morals, and ethics, though how they survived in the science department I can’t say,” Sephiroth informed him over lunch. “I’ve _strongly_ suggested they liaise with Reeve Tuesti, director for Urban Development, on alternate means of power generation. Tuesti can run the numbers, and the science department can shift focus off what we know works to what we’ll need in the near future once we start decommissioning those mako reactors.”

“It’d be easier to blackmail President Shinra should it come to it. Rufus seems a lot more circumspect in his dealings. Admittedly, I’ve not spent any time around him, just listened in on the gossip. Rufus wants his father dead so he can take over, but if true, he seems to be doing poorly in advancing that goal. He’d do better to push his father into a figurehead position while he ran things from the shadows. Might not be good for our plans, though, not if we can’t get a solid hold on him.”

Sephiroth pursed his lips and looked almost annoyed for a moment. “President Shinra has been mostly convinced that as I’ve spent as much time as I have in the science department I have a much better idea than most what should be going on in there. I might also be able to get the new head to take an honest look at how efficient the mako reactors are, so that the information can be used as a strong push toward alternatives should the president or even Rufus object.”

“So less talk about how they’re ultimately killing the planet and more about inefficiency, wastefulness, and how money could be put to much better uses, such as … hm. Delicacies or something that would appeal to the president. Or a diversification of products and services. I would imagine that Scarlet is a major factor in revenue loss by eating up profit with her often malfunctioning creations.”

His mate nodded. “I’ve heard that Scarlet uses the people under her as disposable minions or even furniture, but that would have to be investigated. Another area we can hope to approach from an objective position. Palmer does not seem to be too bad with the space program, not that it has gotten very far. He’s more objectionable due to his personality. We would have to keep an eye on that.”

“I heard the rocket being developed there is № 26,” he said. “So what happened to the previous ones? I’m not even sure why we have a space program, only that I’ve heard they plan to send someone by the name of Cid Highwind up. For some reason.”

Sephiroth shrugged. “I do not know. It is not something that ever crossed my path previously. Though I would presume the idea would see Highwind returned to the planet, and not in the sense of death.”

Weapons development he could understand. Soldiers of any kind needed weapons. Cities needed them to fend off attacks from the outside, though the only thing resembling an army on the planet aside from Shinra’s own was Wutai, and they had been more or less soundly spanked in the war. Terrorist groups, on the other hand… Materia development he could somewhat understand (though he thought people should be happy with what they got naturally from the planet and stop being so selfish), and even the creation of SOLDIERs. Public Security also made sense, as a police force if nothing else, as Shinra effectively was the government in most places. But a space program?

“Heidegger, on the other hand, is almost as much of a problem as Scarlet, I think,” Sephiroth said. “What I’ve seen firsthand suggests he treats the people under him as dirt. He’s arrogant without the competence to back it up, pig-headed, and prone to throwing temper tantrums where he physically assaults whoever is closest.”

Cloud frowned. “There is so much wrong with this company. But it’s still likely easier to transition things than blow it sky high and build something new.”

‘ _All else failing, my darlings, we take out the people currently holding the reins, minus the president, the scientist, and urban planning, and get those positions filled with competent people. If necessary, find a way to maneuver the president into a situation where he can be blackmailed into doing whatever we wish, using a false identity to hold those strings. I do not need to be visibly empress to be empress_.’

“Would it be smarter, in that case, to manage to blame the deaths on the Turks?” he asked.

Sephiroth gave him a smoldering look of appreciation. “Mother, when the time comes, how long will Cloud be gravid?”

‘ _Anywhere from six to eight months, my darling Sephiroth. You worry for his safety_?’

“Of course, Mother. I was considering the idea of manufacturing a long-term mission to allegedly send Cloud on, as cover. Though, I realize, we would have to account for any resulting children and how to prevent anyone from being in a position to harm them.”

‘ _The first child will be a girl, my darlings. I will ensure it. Once I take possession I will grow faster than normal. Soon enough I will have a properly adult body, and be fully in possession of my abilities_.’

Cloud sighed happily. Then he frowned suddenly. Mother would get a new vessel, grow to adulthood, but… What of their own ages?

‘ _Worry not, my beloved Cloud. I have already taken care of that. You will not age, neither you nor my darling Sephiroth. You will forever be young and vital and rule with me as my twin hands_.’

He almost laughed at that. He would forever be sixteen and seen at first glance as nothing like a threat? That could be interesting indeed. Sephiroth would be seen as—“Huh. …How old are you?”

His mate looked amused by the question. “I was born in [μ]εγλ 1980, so twenty-two. By human standards I would be much too old for you. They would also be very upset at the idea of brothers being mates.”

Cloud shrugged. “I was just thinking that I’d be seen as the young, soft, caring one and you’d be the one they’re scared to death of.”

“At least until they saw you in action. Unfortunately, we’ve run out of time. I need to return to my duties. Come give me a kiss before I go.”

“Of course.”

The scientist Sephiroth had gotten promoted to director of the science department (otherwise known as Research & Development, which made little sense given that Scarlet’s job was weapons research and development) came through with an exhaustive report on the sheer inefficiency of mako reactors, the effects on the territory surrounding Midgar (and reams of pages showing how it directly correlated to how expensive any and all food was in the city, plus how many supplies brought in over land were destroyed during monster attacks because the creatures were hungry and too stupid to migrate to better hunting grounds), and a recommendation that his department look into alternatives.

Shinra would keep its monopoly on (providing) power, costs would go down, which would promote more spending by the civilian populace, plus immigration, and everyone would benefit, especially Shinra Company. The president ate it up like a pig on slop and starting giving orders that basically amounted to letting the scientist (Cloud still hadn’t caught the man’s name) doing whatever the hell he wanted to, much like his policy had been with Hojo. Another point for their side.

Cloud had caught Tuesti giving Sephiroth cautious looks now and again, though he rarely crossed paths with the man. Tuesti worked out of both 30F and 63F, so it generally happened in the lift, when he and his mate were moving between the SOLDIER floors. Sephiroth was always handy with a polite greeting of, “Director Tuesti,” and it was clear the human didn’t quite know what to make of it, nor of the fact that it had been Sephiroth, director of SOLDIER, who had set up the initial meeting between Tuesti and the scientist.

“Maybe … during one of those secretive meetings between Scarlet and Heidegger … we could poison them. Somehow,” he suggested.

Sephiroth eyed him and then smirked. “You’re small enough to fit into the ventilation shafts, Cloud. You could always lower something on a line from up above.”

He scowled, but acknowledged that his mate was right. He was small. Well, smaller than the usual SOLDIER.

“We could go for several routes. We could quietly lower things from a ventilation shaft, such as a straight poison, or we could attempt to have delivered allegedly expensive delicacies which contain ingredients which would cause statuses such as Frog, Paralyze, or Instant Death.”

“Or we plant a dozen or so grenades and we manage a truly impression set of near-invisible threads so we can remotely pull the pins and not be in any danger ourselves.”

“Or several remote control bombs placed in the room and we hack the security cameras,” his mate said.

He nodded. “I like that one best. Because I really do not want to slither through ventilation shafts if I can avoid it, nor do I want to somehow drill holes and string lines and pray nothing goes wrong.”

Sephiroth nodded and his gaze went distant for some time. Eventually he said, “I will do some checking of the various places they could reasonably meet, check the security footage of their movements. Once we have at least one option, preferably several, we can have a member of the janitorial staff innocently deliver a box of supplies, or even a member of the catering staff can be tricked into a delivery of the package.”

In the end it was simple enough, though almost entirely his mate’s doing. Cloud simply didn’t understand computers well enough to help, not things like hacking. He was by no means a stupid man, but the intricacies of computers escaped him.

Sephiroth found suitable locations based on the occasional clandestine meetings between Scarlet and Heidegger, arranged for their packages to be delivered, and waited until they entered the trap. One signal later and Scarlet and Heidegger were splattered over the room in a grotesque display.

Sephiroth was there again, at the president’s side, making suggestions as to who could possibly replace those two.

Zack married his little flower girl. Her name was Aerith, apparently. Mother chose not to interfere. Zack barely had any of Mother’s essence, after all. He moved out of the Shinra Building and into a home on the plate, bringing his wife and her mother out of the slums, though Zack was happy to tell Cloud that Aerith and her mother often traveled below the plate so the girl could tend to her flowers and make people happy by sharing them.

With the list of potential issues down to Rufus and the Turks, Mother made a pronouncement.

‘ _My beloved darlings, it is time. You will mate for a child, my new vessel_.’

Cloud sucked in a breath and looked at his mate. Sephiroth had an odd gleam in his eyes.

“Tonight.”

Cloud nodded as Mother hummed in his mind. “Of course.”

Zack was no longer around at night to notice that Cloud spent most nights on 51F in Sephiroth’s quarters, mating under Mother’s gaze. That night things started as they usually did. He suckled his mate’s cock to prepare him, waited impatiently for the scant amount of time it took for Sephiroth to position himself, then rolled his eyes in pleasure when his mate slid his fingers inside his second entrance.

He could feel himself growing even wetter with anticipation, of finally feeling Sephiroth’s cock there, of finally breeding a new vessel for Mother. Sephiroth pulled his hand away and gripped his hips tightly, digging in with his fingers, then slid his cock home.

Sephiroth bent over his back and laid a trail of kisses on his flesh, then pulled back and began to mate him in earnest, nearly as savagely as he normally did. His fingers dug in more sharply to compensate, normally smooth nails seemingly sharpening and piercing his flesh. The exquisite combination of pleasure and pain sent him over the edge far more quickly than normal, which seemed to trigger the same in his mate.

Sephiroth slammed home and stilled, only his hips twitching.

‘ _It is done, my beloved darlings. You will catch, my beloved Cloud. You carry my rebirth. Soon enough, we will rule. Protect your mate well, my darling Sephiroth, as he carries salvation_.’


End file.
